Step stool



D. GREENE Sept. 26, 1950 STEP STOOL Filed July 11, 1946 INVENTOR Dev/0 GREENE ATTOR Patented Sept. 26,, 1950 ;.;:..i:

UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE STEP STOOL David Greene, Brooklyn, N; Y., assighor, by mesne assignments}. to The Datom Company,- Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation ofNew York Application July 11, 1946, Serial No. 682,828

This invention relates to step-stools of the type and kind incorporating step treads normally arranged within boundary walls of a collapsed stool, and wherein the raising of a top seat member will automatically ektend a step from the stool frame to form a stepl'adder having vertically disposed steps. More particularly, the invention deals with an article of manufacture of the kind defined wherein dual linkage is provided at side portionsof the stool coupling the seat men-iber with the step memberin providing smooth action between the seat and step, and further wherein this linkage is maintained within boundaries of the collapsed stool and without interference with the tread area of the lower step or the surface of in which:

Fig. 1 is a side view of a chair made according to my invention with parts of the construction broken away and in section and indicating the parts in extended position in dot. and dash lines. Fig. 2 is a rear view of the structure shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of the top seat taken substantially on the line 3 -3 of Fig. ZWith part in section and showing part in forwardly extended position.

Fig. 4 is a perspective section substantially on the line 44 of Fig. 1 showing one link coupling with one side of the step structure.

Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5 -5 of Fig. 4; and

' Fig. 6 is a section onthe line B -B of Fig. 1, on

an enlarged scale. a

Myimproved chair comprises two substantially similar U-shaped legv frames I ll-I these frames being joined near their lower ends by front. and

rear tie s'trlaps or rods II and I2, the ends of the legs of each frame having rubber or other finishing feet, as at I 3, toprotect a surface :upon

which the chair is arranged;

The leg members ofthe separate frames are joined substantially centrally thereof by forwardly and backwardly extending channel strips I4I4', the. channels of which are directed in- Claims. (01. 155-42) wardly, as clearly seen in Fig. 2, the ends of the strips being secured tothe frames by screws or rivets, as at I5. Secured to the upper cross head ends I6--I6' of the frames Iii-IS, is an upper step or supplemental seat H, the sides lit-I8 of which extend beyond the frames ill-I 3, note Fig. 2, whereas this seat, considered forwardly and backwardly is substantially within the limits of the front and rear ends of the leg frames.

Arranged above the step or supplemental seat I! is a primary seat I9 which is both wider and longer than the step or seat H, as will be seen in consideration of Figs. 1 and 2, the primary seat I9 being hinged to the step or seat Il, as at 23, thereby permitting the primary seat I 9 to be moved into the raised position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, in which position the rear end of the seat strikes against the rear end of the step or supplemental seat.

Secured to the under-surface of the prirnary seat I9 adjacent the side I 8 of the step I7 is a bracket 23 to. which is pivoted a bracing link 24 having an elongated aperture 25 with an offset 26 in one end thereof. On the side I8 of the stepseat I1. is a pin 21 operating in the aperture 25 and adapted to extend into the ofifset 26 when the primary seat is in raised position to lock the primary seat against downward movement and maintaining the same in what is termed a back rest position. Secured to the free end of the link 24 is a fingerpiece or knob- 28 by means of which the link 24 may be moved into an unlocked position with respect to the pin '2'! in retaining the primary seat I9 to its lowered-or normal position. Also secured to the lower surface of the primary seat 20 is a rounded cushion or bumper member 29 adapted to compensate for the hinge and to support the primary seat above the tread surface 30 of the step seat H. The rear end of the primary seat I9 has two recesses 3 1-3 I and secured to saidrear end are two plates 32 -32', each having a pair of inwardly extending ears 33 -33', one of these structures being clearly shown in Fig. 3. Supported in each pair of ears is a pivot pin S P-34 on which is pivotally supported an oiiset link 35-45, bushings being arranged on the pins 34 to maintain the position of the links on the pins and one pair of these bushings is clearly illustrated at 36 in Fig. 3 of the drawing.

The lower and inwardly ofiset end portions of the links 35-35 are pivoted, as seen at 31-31 to step actuating links, 3838, the latter being pivoted to brackets 39-49 secured to the lower ;surfaces of the stepseat. H, as seen at -40.

The lower end portions of the links 38-38 have elongated apertures, and one of these apertures is shown at 4| on the link 38 in Figs. 1 and 4 and 5 of the drawing. It will be, however, noted that both links 38-38 are of the same construction. The ends of the links 38-38 terminate in outwardly ofiset stop members 42-42 adapted to cooperate with the lower surface of the rails I l-l4 in limiting swinging movement of the links 38-38 in both directions.

Slidably mounted in the channel strips l4-l4' is a lower step member or foot-rest 43 having a tread 44 on the upper surface thereof. Side porchannels joining leg members of each frame, a seat secured to and joining upper cross head ends of the leg frames, means spacing and bracing lower end portions of the leg frames, a supplemental seat hingedly coupled with the rear portion of the first named seat, a step slidably engaging the channel strips and normally contained within the boundaries of the leg frames when the step is in retracted position, said step having a pair of downwardly extending L-shaped leg members, levers pivoted to the first named tions of the step 43 near the rear ends thereof have recesses, one of which is shown at 45, in Fig. 4 of the drawing, in which the ends of the links 38-38 operate. The recessed portions of the step have screw pins 48 which operate in the elongated apertures 4| in the forward extension and inward retraction of the step, as will be apparent.

Secured to side portions of the lower surface of the step 43 are downwardly extending L- shaped supporting legs 41-41 joined near their lower ends in a cross strap 48 arranged in alinement with the strap ll. Supported in the lower ends of the legs 41-41 are domes 49-49 providing free as well as non-marring movement of the step frame over a floor or other surface in the movement thereof into extended and contracted positions.

In Fig. 6 of the drawing, I have shown the strap mountings on the leg frame l0 and on the leg member 41. It will appear from this figure that the strap II is inwardly offset so as to allow the leg member 41 to house itself within the boundary of the frame It], the strap member 48 also being offset to maintain this snug environment. The strap ends may be secured by welding or otherwise to the respective supports, as will be apparent.

One of the features of my invention lies in the fact that the complete chair assemblage is maintained substantially within the boundaries of the chair frame except for the slight side extensions at the upper portion of the frame. This procedure simplifies packaging of the complete chair unit. For purposes of description, either.- seat may be considered the primary seat, and in like manner the supplemental seat. I

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A stool of the class described comprising a pair of U-shaped leg frames, inwardly directed channels joining leg members of each frame, a seat secured to and joining upper cross head ends of the leg frames, means spacing and bracing lower end portions of the leg frames, a supplemental seat hingedly coupled with the rear portion of the first named seat, a step slidably engaging the channel strips and normally contained within the boundaries of the leg frames when the step is in retracted position, said'step having a pair of downwardly extending L-shaped leg members, levers pivoted to the first named seat inwardly of and adjacent the leg frames and having sliding pivotal connections directly with side portions of said step, and links pivoted to the supplemental seat and said levers'whereby swinging movement of the supplemental seat into raised position will automatically move the step into projected position with respect to the frame.

2. A stool of the class described comprising a pair of U-shaped leg frames, inwardly directed seat inwardly of and adjacent the leg frames and having a sliding pivotal connection with side portions of said step, links pivoted to the supplemental seat and said levers whereby swinging movement of the supplemental seat into raised position will automatically move the step into projecting position with respect to the frame, means movably coupled with the first named and supplemental seat for bracing and retaining the supplemental seat in raised position, means at the lower ends of the leg members of said step for guiding the step over a surface in extending and retracting said step, and lower end portions of the levers having means checking movement of the step in both directions.

3. In step-stools of the class described, a stool frame, a main seat at the upper end of the frame, a supplemental seat swingably mounted in connection with the main seat, a legged step member slidably mounted in the frame, said step member having recesses in the sides thereof, a pair of levers pivoted in the frame, free end portions of said levers having a sliding pivotal mounting with side portions of the step member within said recesses, and links pivoted to the supplemental seat and to said levers for advancing the step member in movement of the supplemental seat into raised position.

4. In step-stools of the class described, a stool frame, a main seat at the upper end of the frame, a, supplemental seat swingably mounted in connection with the main seat, a legged step member slidably mounted in the frame, a pair of levers pivoted in the frame, free end portions of said levers having a sliding pivotal mounting with said portions of the step member, links pivoted to the supplemental seat and to said levers for advancing the step member in movement of the supplemental seat into raised position, free end portions of said levers having means checking movement of the step member in both directions, means movably coupled with the first named and supplemental seat for bracing and retaining the supplemental seat in raised position, and means housing pivot end portions of the links in the rear end portion of the supplemental seat.

5. In step-stools comprising a frame and a swingable seat member, a step slidably engaging the frame, a link and lever structure for coupling the swingable seat with the step whereby movement of the swingable seat to raised position will advance the step in the frame, the lever having a fixed pivot in the frame and a free pivotal coupling directly with the step, said link being pivoted to the swingable seat member and said lever, the step having depending means for supporting the same when in extended position, and the lever having means adjacent the coupling with said step for checking movement of the step in both directions.

DAVID GREENE.

(References on following page) 5 6 V REFERENCES CITED Number Name Date Thegfollowin referencesare .of re 0 d in the' 11785330 Strong 1930 me g i 1. c r 1,817,878 Clements Aug. 4,1931 1,822,399 Hayne Sept. 8, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENTS 5 1,981,017 W0rley Nov. 20, 1934 Number Name Date 2,052,450 Cooney Aug. 25, 1936 183,924 Harrison Oct. 31, 1876 2,438,212 Greene Mar. 23, 1948 796,988 Chesney Aug. 15, 1905 1,671,013 Conners May 22, 1928 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,746,589 Harter Feb. 11, 1930 10 Number Country Date 1,766,771 Barrows June 24, 1930 282,595 Italy June 16, 1931 

